Social class mobility in modern Britain: changing structure, constant process

Contrary to what is widely supposed in political and media circles, social class mobility in modern Britain is not in decline. A new pattern of mobility is however, emerging. Younger generations face less favourable mobility chances than did their parents or grandparents. This is essentially the result of class structural change. The underlying mobility regime remains remarkably constant. The key to increasing social mobility is often taken to lie in education. But the historical record indicates that the effect of educational expansion and reform on mobility processes and outcomes has in fact been very limited.

About the speaker:John Goldthorpe FBA is an Emeritus Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford, having been an Official Fellow 1969-2002. He was previously a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. He is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Chaired by Professor Sir John Hills Kt, FBA, London School of Economics